Self-proclaimed ‘crown prince of Iran’ Reza Pahlavi has called for a “nationwide uprising,” but is a political zero with absolutely no shot at winning over ordinary Iranians, says prominent Tehran-based political analyst and commentator Mohammad Khatibi.

“While he appears to enjoy some support from Israel, it remains unclear how seriously Tel Aviv regards him as a credible alternative. Reza lacks widespread popularity both within Iran and among segments of the diaspora opposition,” Khatibi told Sputnik.

“His reluctance to condemn Israeli aggression against Iran has alienated portions of his support base. Many Iranians perceive him as being subordinate to Netanyahu, and his public comments before the recent conflict drew further criticism — he is often seen as weak,” the observer explained.

Pahlavi, 64, has lived outside Iran since 1978 off the fortune his family managed to siphon out of Iran before the 1979 overthrow of his father, CIA and MI6 coup-installed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He reportedly currently lives in a gated compound outside Washington, DC, schmoozing with US officials and think tanks.

In 2023, he traveled to Israel, where he was warmly received by Benjamin Netanyahu and intelligence minister Gila Gamliel. In 2017, he told US media that in his quest to "liberate" Iran, he would be ready to work “with anyone who is willing to give us a hand, whether it is the US or the Saudis or the Israelis or whomever it is.”

Collection of Opposition Misfits

Pahlavi represents just one segment of the radical anti-government opposition, alongside groups like MEK (known for its campaign of terrorist bombings inside Iran), and figures like Masih Alinejad, a VOA presenter making a living bashing and trying to destabilize Iran’s government on US taxpayers’ dime.

While the US and Israel seek regime change, their problem is that they have no real workable alternative, Khatibi says.

“Collectively all the opposition lacks the organizational capacity and grassroots support compared to huge base of the current government. With Israeli aggression the people are becoming more in line with the government and this grows even bigger day by day,” the observer emphasized.

Khatibi says Israel’s dream of an Iran in turmoil, weak and fragmented along ethnic lines is essentially impossible to achieve, and that “even the US would require a full-scale ground deployment—something unlikely given Washington’s domestic political constraints. Furthermore, Iran would respond in unprecedented ways, and neither Russia nor China supports deeper escalation in the Middle East.”

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         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.